\_/)---aaah! Thanks, Nar, quite good. I'd say the WWST may have some staying power, if not as long, perhaps, as the AYWSF. Time will tell.
Thanks kindly for the replies so far. To review: to write in the spirit of Tolkien means:
1) something more mystical than just plain fantasy.
2) to the same depth as Tolkien.
3) great depth and detail, such as a fabricated (poor word) history.
4) consistency in the languages spoken by the people in the story.
5) writing both the small and the large, the comic and the sublime.
6) a deep theme, such as "hope and despair".
7) detailed yet interesting description (not boring).
8) a subtlety by which the unfamiliar is presented along with the familiar to give it an easier entrance into the reader's mind. (Excellent one, Nar!)
9) one must go beyond Tolkien's accomplishment (yikes!) &, I would add, avoid being 'thick as bricks doing it'.
10. find that balance between the epic romance, the continuation of grand themes, AND the experience of every-day made vivid.
11. braided themes - all the issues the characters must confront.
12. braided religious/world view aspects.
13. use the archetypes that run deep within all of us.
14. The Fae feel. [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img]
15. Creating a world so rich and believable that the reader feels like it's history instead of fantasy.
As to the comment that no one has done it as well before or since, I'd say that so far that is true. But I think there have been some who have done admirably.
Granted, some of the 15 items above are more general, others more specific. So far so good.
I guess I need a little more explanation about "mystical" and "same depth as Tolkien". What do those mean? [img]smilies/wink.gif[/img]
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